The only things required in the modern-day superbike are the essential go-fast elements of mass horsepower, wicked handling, and a heck of a lot of technology developed at the highest levels of racing. Anything else? Scrap it. Extra interferes with the ultimate goal of the ideal lap time. This is the category that has revolutionized outright road-going motorcycle performance...

Sportbikes are making a comeback of sorts right now, especially in the middleweight class, albeit with lower-powered and more economical powerplants. Triumph hasn’t produced a normal production, fully faired sportbike since 2017, which was the final year of the Daytona 675R (the Daytona Moto2 765 was only made in limited numbers). Back then, Triumph—like the rest of its competitors—was...

I have a confession to share with devout Cycle World readers. It’s been 34 years since I last purchased a street-legal motorcycle. And that bike, a showroom fresh 1988 Suzuki GSX-R750, was briefly ridden on public roads during engine break-in prior to being prepped for use in roadrace competition. When I joined the CW staff in 1990, I soon...

In introducing the 2024 990 Duke, KTM has almost removed itself from conversations on best middleweight naked bike and entered the debate over best naked bike, regardless of size. That is assuming you can live without the gut-punching, high-horsepower performance of the more sadistic super-nakeds, like Aprilia’s Tuono V4, BMW’s S 1000 R, Ducati’s Streetfighter V4, and KTM’s own...

If there’s one major manufacturer that irrefutably looks out for the kids, it is KTM. For the Austrian factory, its entry-level machinery is every bit as important as its range-topping flagships. Big or small, a KTM has to be “Ready to Race.”It’s a philosophy that works. KTMs look young and feel young, and the smaller-capacity bikes aimed at new...

The beautiful thing about the Super Duke platform is that it wasn’t built around a rule book. Whereas most nakeds and hyper-nakeds trace their roots back to engines, chassis, and electronics developed for race-bred sportbikes, the modern Super Duke was built on hooligan bones. It is not a sportbike with fairings peeled off—it’s a purpose-built troublemaker with enough performance...

If you ride motorcycles, you of course know that red and green represent two of the most well-known motorcycle manufacturers in the world—Honda and Kawasaki. While their corporate colors may differ, one of the many things these companies have in common is the ability to produce high-quality, recreationally focused trail bikes that are equally as friendly to the rider...

One of the first actions Harley-Davidson undertook in 2021 after scrapping its “More Roads” strategy was to launch the Icons Collection, a limited-production line of motorcycles celebrating its iconic motorcycles and past designs. To qualify for the collection, the bikes would only be produced once in limited numbers and be priced reasonably, with each model celebrating a significant motorcycle...

If you were to draw a Venn diagram of the adventure bike category, CFMoto’s Ibex 450 would sit in the overlap between long-legged, tech-laden adventuring-touring giants like BMW’s R 1300 GS and lighter weight, less adventurous options like Kawasaki’s Versys-X 300, which act as an entry into the adventure-touring world. This is known in the motorcycling world as the...

There’s not much you can learn about a brand-new motorcycle in an hour’s ride on strange roads to an unknown destination. Add in the fact that you’re on arrow-straight Florida tarmac in the midst of the chaos that is Daytona Bike Week while riding a preproduction model, and you come to realize that any kind of in-depth evaluation is...

If there’s one environment in which electric motorcycles or scooters make compelling sense, it’s in the city. For short commutes and zipping through the urban jungle, it’s hard to see why you’d want much more. Except…Except the streets of London or Los Angeles and every congested conurbation in between aren’t exactly swarming with e-scoots. Not yet. One good reason...

Aprilia’s RS 457 is the newest entry into its sportbike lineup. It features a 457cc parallel twin with a 270-degree crank, makes a claimed 48 hp and 32 lb.-ft. of torque, and weighs 386 pounds. Building completely new from the ground up, Aprilia followed the same design philosophy as the RS 660 for this lightweight sportbike: utilizing the engine...

Triumph’s Street Triple 765 R is a Cycle World favorite and multitime Ten Best winner. Originally designed with a 675cc engine (Street Triple 675) derived from the Daytona 675, the Street Triple’s engine later grew into a 765cc inline-three. As the sole engine supplier in the Moto2 class, Triumph has a lot of RD in its inline-three platform. The 2024...

Suzuki revamped its middleweight lineup with the addition of an all-new parallel twin. The 776cc DOHC liquid-cooled parallel twin with a 270-degree crank is used in Suzuki’s new V-Strom 800DE, GSX-8S, and the recently announced GSX-8R. Having one versatile plug-and-play engine for different models is a strategy Yamaha has been successful with for years in the MT-07, XSR700, Ténéré 700,...

When news broke in late 2022 that Pierer Mobility (KTM, Husqvarna, and GasGas parent company) entered a partnership with MV Agusta many believed the Italian manufacturer would morph into a rebranded KTM. So far that hasn’t happened. The two major points of emphasis in the partnership with KTM is to support MV Agusta’s supply chain management and acquire its purchasing...